System for comfort conditioning structures



Dc. 9, 1969 l.. J. JENN 3,482,503

SYSTEM FOR COMFORT CONDITIONING STRUCTURES Filed Dec. zo, 1968 i 4sheets-sheet 1 4 Iig lill/11111111111"1,11111,111

INVENTOR.

Louis J. JENN' ATTORNEY Dec. 9, 1969 L. J. JENN 3,482,503

SYSTEM FOR COMFORT CONDITIONING STRUCTURES Filed Dep. 20, 1968 4Sheets-Sheet 2 /ll/ U y B Ymw//L n INVENTQR. m LOUIS d. JENN ATTORNEY.

Dec. 9, 1969 L. J. JENN 3,482,503

v SYSTEM FOR COMFORT CONDITIONING STRUCTURES Filed Deo. 2o. 1968 4sheets-sheet s 33 i`gurllv lllllllllll /1/ I I 35 INVENTOR.

LOUIS ILJENN ATTORNEY.

Dec. 9, 1969 L. J'. JENN 3,482,503

SYSTEM FOR COMFORT CONDITIONING STRUCTURES Filed Dec. 20, 1968 4Sheets-Sheet 4 II'lllll'l. Il

ATTORNEY INVENTOR Han/0 BY' United States Patent O 3,482,503 SYSTEM FORCOMFORT CONDITIONING STRUCTURES Louis J. Jenn, Indianapolis, Ind.,assignor to Jenn-Air Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation ofIndiana Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 693,483,

Dec. 26, 1967. This application Dec. 20, 1968, Ser.

Int. Cl. F241 /00, 13/02 U.S. Cl. 98-33 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A system for supplying fresh and recirculated air to theinterior of a conventional building structure and conditioning same inorder to provide a comfortable environment for the occupants thereof andthe method of providing the building with same. Existing air spaces inthe wall and ceiling construction of a conventional building structureare used and provided with inlet and discharge openings and airtreatment equipment, for conducting both fresh and recirculated air to afan which forcibly discharges same into the interior of the buildingstructure.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a continuation-in-partof my application Ser. No. 693,483, now abandoned, filed Dec. 26, 1967and entitled System For Comfort Conditioning Building Structures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to aducted system and method of providing same for Ventilating, heating, andcooling the interior of a conventional building structure are utilizedto create the air duct thus eliminating the costly and elaborateinstallation of ductwork normally associated with system of this type.

Since in most populated areas of the world a substantial dilferentialoccurs between the day and night temperature in a given day, drawing inthe cooler night air has become an accepted means of cooling manyresidence and business structures. The most widely accepted method ofaccomplishing this, is the attic exhaust fan which removes the airpresent in the living area, through the attic and thence to theoutdoors. While effective cooling is obtained since cool night air isdrawn into the living area through open windows and the hot air standingin the attic is exhausted to the outdoors, there are two undesirablefeatures inherent in using this method. The first is that airbournematter such as dust and insects tend to be drawn into the living areathrough the open windows. Secondly, it has been found that especially inwarmer weather, if air is moved through the living area at a velocitywherein its occupants actually experience a breeze, a much higher degreeof comfort is obtained, since the heat that they give off is morerapidly dissipated and their perspiration is quickly evaporated. Sincethe attic fan draws air in from the entire living area, a virtuallyenormous attic fan would be required to produce an eifective coolingbreeze at any place in the living area other than directly in front ofthe fan or an open window. Accordingly, the use of a fan of thiscapacity would be prohibitive, 'both in terms of cost and the excessivenoise it would produce.

In recent years portable, small, low cost window fans have become a verypopular substitute for attic fans. These fans are usually electricallyor mechanically reversible so that outside air can befblown into theliving area rather than, as with the attic fan, exhausted out. While3,482,503 Patented Dec. 9, 1969 ICC this creates an effective breeze ina portion of the living area in front of the fan, their actual coolingeiliciency is far less than the attic fan since they are usually farless powerful, and do not remove the hot air in the attic whichcontinues to heat the living area hours after the outside temperaturehas dropped. Additionally, the window fans still present the problem ofair-bourne matter being drawn into the living area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is the principal aim of thepresent invention to provide a new and improved system and method forforcibly discharging outside air into the living area of a conventionalbuilding structure with a resulting degree of occupant comfort that hasnot heretofore been obtained at the same relatively low cost.

A related object of the invention is to provide a system and method ofthe type referred to in which the problem of air-bourne matter beingdrawn into the living area is eliminated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a system and method ofthe type referred to which is capable of regulating the temperature ofthe air in the living area.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a system andmethod of the type referred to wherein existing air spaces in aconventional building structure are utilized to create an air passagewaythus eliminating the installation of elaborate and costly ductwork.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an existingconventional building structure or one under construction with a systemof the type referred to without any material modification or complexinstallation.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages of the inventionwill appear from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical section in perspective showing aone-story building structure incorporating the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view, partially in section,illustrating the ceiling and outside wall construction of the buildingstructure shown in FIG- URE l;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section taken substantiallyalong the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the structure depicted inFIGURE 2, but taken from the opposite side of the outside wall andshowing different structure in section; and

FIGURES 5 and 6 are fragmentary vertical sectional views illustratingtwo modified forms of the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is an alternative construction showing the fan located in asidewall;

FIGURE 8 represents an arrangement similar to that in FIGURE 7 but witha cross-flow fan;

FIGURE 9 shows the outside air intake opposite the fan; v

FIGURE l() represents an alternate form of the outside and inside airintakes. l While the present invention is susceptible of variousmodifications and alternative constructions, illustrative embodimentsare shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit theinvention .to the particular forms disclosed, but, on the contrary,r theintention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternativeconstructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention asexpressed in the appended claims.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 through 4, a one-story building structure ofconventional construction, generally indicated at 10, is illustrated andincludes an outside wall 11, inside wall 14, ceiling construction 12,and a floor 13.

The outside wall 11 comprises Studs 19, an outer Surface 15, innersurface 16, a top plate 17, and a bottom plate 18. The studs, plates andthe inner and outer surface are securely joined to provide a rigid aswell as a relative air tight construction.

The ceiling construction 12 comprises joists 20 which are rigidlyfastened to outside wall 11 at the top plate 17, and a ceiling surface21 supported by the joists 20. As illustrated in FIGURE 4, rafters 22are also employed in many building structures to impart additionalrigidity along with supporting the roof.

In accordance with one of the important aspects of the presentinvention, provision is made for blowing outside air into the livingarea of the building structure 10, and uniformly distributing samewithout the necessity of installing an arrangement of ductwork in thebuilding. This is accomplished by creating an air passageway from theexterior of the building structure 10iv to the living area, utilizing apre-existing air space within the outside wall 11, and the space 26bounded by the upper side of the ceiling surface 21 and two successivejoists 20. As best seen in FIGURE 1, space 26 is enclosed and connectedto air space 25 thus providing the building structure 10 with aninternal air-passageway extending from a lower portion of the outsidewall 11 to a portion of the ceiling 12 which is centrally disposed withrespect to the living area.

In order to enclose space 26, a sheet of construction material 28 suchas lwall board, plywood or the like, is sized to span the distancebetween two successive joists 20 and to extend inwardly from the outsidewall 11 so as to terminate in a generally central position with respectto the living area. The resulting sized sheet 28 is then rmly secured tothe upper edge of the two aforesaid joists 20 as shown in FIGURES 2 and4.

To provide air communication between air space 25 and the enclosed space26, a portion of the top plate 17 of the outside wall 11, which iscommon to both said spaces is removed, which in turn allows air t freelyow therebetween. To insure that no loss of structural rigidity willoccur at the reduced portion of the plate 17, it is contemplated that inthe exemplary form of the invention a reinforcing member 30 of steelplate or the like will be provided in a manner as depicted in FIG- URE4.

In carrying out the present invention, air communication is establishedbetween the outside of the building structure and the air space 25. Toaccomplish this, an inlet opening 33 (FIGURES l through 4) is providedin the outer surface of the outside wall 11.

In accordance with another important aspect of the present invention,provision is made for drawing outside air into the inlet opening 33 andforcibly discharging same into the living area. To this end, a powerdriven fan 35 is provided and as best seen in FIGURE 2, is disposed withits intake side communicating with the enclosed air space 26, and itsexhaust side communicating with the living area.

As shown particularly in FIGURE 2, the enclosed air space 26 isterminated just past the fan 35 by plate 37. It is understood however,that in a large or multi-room building structure, the enclosed space 26could continue on to one or more fans. It will also be seen in FIGURESl, 2 and 4 that the enclosed space 26 is enlarged about the fan 35 toprovide a plenum chamber generally indicated at 38. By providing theplenum chamber 38, it has been found, particularly in the case where theexisting space 26 is relatively shallow, that improved intake conditionsare obtained, which enables the fan to perform more efficiently.Additionally, it will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art,that the provision of the plenum chamber 38 eliminates the necessity ofa large portion of the fan 35 depending the ceiling surface 21 into theliving area.

In accomplishing the aforestated objects of the present invention,provision is made to blow air into the living area, in a manner wherebythe occupants thereof will experience the sensation of its movement. Tothis end, a diffuser is installed at the exhaust side of the fan 35. Asseen in FIGURE 1, the diffuser 39, is incorporated into the structureo-f the fan 35 and is positioned with its discharge side at aboutceiling height and is centrally located with respect to the living area.Thus, when the air passes through the diffuser 39 as diagrammaticallyindicated (FIGURE 1), it is uniformly distributed throughout the entireliving area.

In operation, it is ,contemplated that the air discharged into theliving area of the building structure 10, will be discharged therefromthrough a partially open window 0r other existing openings. However, oneskilled in the art will appreciate that a discharge opening (not shown)could be provided in the case, for example, of a relatively airtightwindowless room.

In keeping -with another aspect of the present invention, provision ismade to eliminate the presence of air-bourne matter such as dust andinsects in the air discharged by the fan 35 into the living area of thebuilding structure 10. To accomplish this, a filter 42 is disposed atthe intake side of the fan 35. In the exemplary embodiment asillustrated in FIGURE 2, the filter 42 is located at the inlet opening33, which allows ready access for cleaning and replacement.

Still another important aspect of the present invention is theregulation of the temperature of the air discharged into the living areaby the fan 35. To this end, a heat source is disposed between theexhaust side of the fan 35 and the diffuser 39. As seen in FIGURE 2, theheat source employed in the exemplary embodiment is a nned heatingelement 44 of the electrical resistance type.

It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the ar t that bydisposing the heating element 44 at the exhaust side of the fan 35, theair is heated just prior to its being discharged into the living area,thus eliminating the need for the metal or insulated ductwork normallyrequired to carry hot air in a ducted heating system. It is additionallypointed out that while the electric resistance heating element 44 isemployed in the illustrated embodiment, it would also be in keeping withthe spirit and scope of the present invention to use an alternativesource of heat for example gas, oil or hot water.

In order to provide more eicient heating of the interior of the buildingstructure, provision is made for the air in the living area to becontinually recirculated across the heating element 44. In Afurtheranceof this aim, an inlet opening is provided establishing air communicationbetween the living area and the intake side of the fan 35. In theexemplary apparatus, this is accomplished by disposing an air inletopening 47 (FIGURES l and 2) in the inner surface 16 of outside wall 11,between the two studs 19 which define the air space 25.

It is contemplated that the heating element 44 would be regulated by athermostat (not shown) responsive to the temperature of the living area.However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the instant art, thatboth the fan 35 and heat source 46 could also be controlled by any ofseveral well-known methods such as a manual switch, a timer switch orthe like. Y Turning next to FIGURE 3, there is shown a combinationexterior-interior inlet register, generally indicated at 48 which findsuse in the present invention. Referring to the drawing, it is seen thatinside the register, there is a damper 49 which is juxtaposed betweenthe outside inlet opening 33 and the interior inlet opening 47 and isadjustable so that either opening can be closed with respect to theother.

In the application of the present invention, if it were desired to coolthe living area when the outside air is of a lower temperature, thedamper 49 would be positioned to close inlet opening 47. Then as bestseen in FIGURE l, when the fan 35 is activated, the cooler outside airwill be drawn through inlet opening 33 and forcibly discharged into theliving area where it would provide the occupants with a coolingsensation, and actually lower the temperature of the living area until amore or less steady state condition is established. As previouslystated, the air would be expelled from the lliving area through an openwindow or other opening (not shown). If a continuous flow of fresh airwere desired and the room was tending to become uncomfortably cool orhumid, the activation of the heating element 44 would have the effect oftempering the air discharged into the living area to a degree that wouldrestore and maintain a comfortable condition therein.

Under climate conditions where the temperature of the outside air is toolow for the heating element 44 to raise it to a comfortable level beforeit is discharged into the living area, the damper 49 would be positionedto close the inlet opening 33 and any windows or other openings would beclosed. Under these conditions the activation of the fan 35 wouldcontinuously draw the air in the living area through inlet opening 47,across the heating element 44 and discharge it back into the livingarea, through the diffuser 39.

Since the inlet opening 47 is located close to the floor level of theliving area and the diffuser 39 is at ceiling level, the heated airdischarged through the diffuser 39 will tend to force the heavier coolerair downwardly where it will be drawn into inletopening 47. It lwill beapparent to one skilled in the art that the continuous recirculation ofthe interior air where it is drawn in at its coolest point anddischarged at its hottest point will continue to raise the temperatureof the living area until it reaches a preselected llevel which isconsistent vwith the comfort of the occupants.

Under certain conditions, it would be desirable to dispose the damper 49in a position intermediate the two inlet openings. This would enable oneto obtain the advantages of recirculation and yet still be able to add adesired amount of fresh air to the interior, a feature that is highlydesirable for example if the living area became heavily laden withcigarette smoke.

In carrying out another important aspect of the invention, a coolingsource is provided so as to lower the temperature of the living area inthe same manner as the aforementioned heating of the living area isaccomplished. To this end, a cooling coil (not shown) would be disposedin a position similar to that of the heating element 44 so that the airexhausted by the fan 3S is cooled just prior to its discharge. into theliving area. Being that the placement of the cold source is not criticalfrom a safety standpoint as is the heat source, it is understood thatthe cold source could be disposed anywhere between the inlet opening 47and the diffuser 39 without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. For example, an attic installed refrigeration unit or heatpump could be installed in parallel with the enclosed air space 26. Inthe case of a heat pump, it -will be apparent that the heating element44 could also be eliminated.

Turning next to FIGURES 5 and 6, there is shown two slightly modifiedtype of the exemplary embodiment. FIGURE 5 illustrates a buildingconstruction of the multi-story type equipped with the presentinvention. In this type of construction the upper floor 50 encloses thespace 26 in ceiling, thus requiring only the plate 37 to form an airpassageway. Additionally the outside inlet opening 33 is shown in aposition that is in line with space 26, andl would also find use ininstances where it would be undesirable to have the outside inletopening at a lower position or when the construction of the outside wall11 does not include an air space within.

As seen in FIGURE 6, in a building construction having a sloping roof,the outside inlet opening 33 is provided in the eave planking 52 underthe sofft area 54.

Referring to the embodiments shown in both FIGURES 5 and 6, it will beobserved that the interior inlet opening 47 is still located at a lowerportion of the inner surface 16 of the closed air space 25 in order toyield the most ecient operation of the recirculatory cycle of thepresent invention.

To accomplish this', it is contemplated that the mixing damper 49 wouldbe positioned at ceiling level as depicted in FIGURES 5 and 6. Inaddition, if it were so desired or necessitated as in the aforementionedsituation where there are no air spaces in the outside wall 11, it wouldstill be in keeping with the spirit and scope of the present inventionto dispose the interior inlet opening 47 in the ceiling surface 21 ofthe enclosed space 26. Means are provided for moving the damper as shownin FIGURES 5 and 6.

FIGURES 7, 8, 9 and l0 relate to a variation added by thiscontinuation-in-part application. In FIGURE 7 a fan similar to thatshown in FIGURES 5 and 6 is located in wall 116 between studs 119 incommunication with the duct defined between the studs and walls. Acentrifugal fan 120 in FIGURE 7 is adapted to draw air upwardly throughthe duct defined between the studs and discharge it into a room. Asdescribed before, this fan may be provided with heating elements 122.The wall construction herein is similar to the wall constructionpreviously described. At a location adjacent floor 124, an air intake126 is provided in the wall defining inside and outside air intakescommunicating with the duct leading to fan 120.

The air intakes 126 shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 are identical and likenumerals are applied thereto. The intakes shown in FIGURE l0 is similar,but a different protective cover is provided therefor. The outside airinlet is defined by an outside frame 128 which is adapted to be receivedin an opening provided in the outside wall. The frame is formed toremovably carry an air lter 130 located vertically therein in the pathof entering air. Additionally a louver arrangement 132 is provided onthe front of or entrance to the frame 128. The louvers are adapted to beremoved permitting access to filter 130 or the -whole frame 128 can beremoved and lter 130 reached from the other side. Inside frame 134 issimilar in construction to frame 128 but includes an extending portion136 at the bottom thereof. A plate damper 138 is pivoted at 137 from theextension 136 and. by handle 140 may be adjusted so as to totally closeoff either inside or outside air, or to apportion the air enteringthrough each. An air lter 142 is removably carried by frame 134. Thefront or entrance to frame 134 is provided with a grill 144 throughwhich room or inside air is drawn.

Like identifying numerals have been applied to the air intakes inFIGURES 7, 8 and l0 to indicate the same or like components. In FIGUREl0 a protective weather cover 146 is shown in place over the outside airintake instead of the louver arrangement of the other figures.

The damper 138 may be controlled by a room occupant to apportion outsideversus inside air entering the duct. As shown, the damper may beadjusted to the extreme so as to provide all outside or all inside air.

FIGURE 8 shows a cross-flow type fan 150 located in the duct definedbetween the studs 119 and outside and inside walls. A sheet metal frame152, received in the duct space, carries a cross-flow fan rotor 154which draws air in from the bottom and discharges it horizontallythrough grill 156 into the room. As in FIGURE 7 a heating element may beprovided at the outlet side of the fan for heating the air passingthereover.

The disclosure in FIGURE 9 is to an alternate form where the outside airintake is located opposite the fan, herein shown as the centifugal walltype used in FIGURE 7. A variation of the cross-flow fan could be usedas Well. In FIGURE 9, a frame 158 is removably carried in the wall asbefore. This frame carries a filter 160 which is removable therefrom.Louvers 162 are movable from open to closed position to control theamount of air enter- 7 ing therethrough. At a lower portion of the walladjacent the floor, a room air inlet as previously described isinstalled and may be provided with a damper.

A thermostatic control 164 responsive to room temperature is located inthe room Wherever it is desired. This control determines the operationof the fan and heating element. The fan and heating element may becooperatively operated or it may be desirable at times to operate thefan above.

Several forms of my invention have been disclosed herein in conjunctionwith the drawings. It is reasonable that various modifications can bemade thereto without departing from the spirit of my invention. Myinvention is to Ibe limited only by the scope of the claims followingherein.

I claim:

1. A system for comfort conditioning the living area of a buildingstructure having side walls and a ceiling comprising:

means enclosing a portion of the side wall to form a duct for passage ofair therethrough,

means enclosing a portion of the ceiling to form a duct for passage ofair therethrough,

means establishing air communication between said ducts,

means establishing inlet air communication to said ducts from the insideand outside of said building structure,

said inlet means including generally adjacent opposed and oppositelyfacing openings and damper means therebetween which upon manipulationapportion inside and outside air,

power driven air moving means disposed in communication with saidceiling duct whereby air is drawn therefrom and discharged directlydownwardly into said living area.

2. The claimed subject matter of claim 1 including an air lilter in saidmeans providing inlet air.

3. The claimed subject matter of claim 1 including heating means in theroom discharge airstream for changing temperature of air passingthereover.

`4. A system for comfort conditioning the living area of a buildingstructure having side walls, ceiling and floor comprising:

. means enclosing a portion of said wall to form a duct for passage ofair therethrough,

lmeans in said side wall including generally adjacent opposed andoppositely facing openings establishing inside and Voutside aircommunication to said duct and having damper means operatively movablebetween said openings for apportioning inside versus outside air,

power driven air moving means disposed in communication with said wallduct whereby air selectively drawn into said duct is discharged directlyinto said living area. l5. The claimed subject matter of claim 4including heating means in the discharged airstream for changingtemperature of air entering the living area.

6. The claimed subject matter of claim 4 including an air lter adjacentsaid means establishing air communication to said duct.

7. The claimed subject matter of claim 4 wherein air is dischargeddirectly into the living area at a level above said inside and outsideair openings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,566,772 12/1925 Roth.

1,939,908 12/1933 Markey.

2,928,330 3/1960 Brandi` 3,223,018 12/1965 Tucker 98-31 LLOYD L. KING,Primary Examiner

